Aurora Cannabis, one of Canadas largest licensed weed producers has scooped up rival cannabis producer MedReleaf in a $3.2 billion all-stock deal that sets the stage for Aurora to become the worlds biggest legal weed producer.

Combined, Aurora and MedReleaf have the funded capacity to produce 570,000 kg per year of cannabis through nine facilities in Canada and two in Denmark, far surpassing the likes of Canopy Growth Corporation, the countrys biggest weed producer which is currently licensed to produce 31,000 kg of weed and weed-related…

This transaction, upon completion, will make Aurora the largest cannabis company in the world by funded capacity, market capitalization and revenue, Cam Battley, Auroras Chief Corporate Officer told VICE Money.

Of all the companies in the sector, these are the two that most belong together because of high production efficiency and superior technology, Battley said.

MedReleaf was founded on the belief that by striving to be the Medical Grade Standard and bringing the highest level of quality and rigor to the cannabis industry, we would produce safe, consistent, and effective products that help improve the quality of life of our patients, MedReleaf CEO Neil Closner…

Aurora Cannabis will buy medicalmarijuana firm MedReleaf for $3.2 billion instock, cementing the company’s status as the biggest company in the fast-growing cannabis space.

The deal will see Aurora, which was valued at $4.5 billion on Friday, offer MedReleafshareholders 3.575 shares in Aurora in exchange for everyshare in MedReleafthat they hand over.

At current market prices, that places the value ofMedReleafat $29.44 per share or$3.2 billion in total an 18 per cent premium to where the company was valued on Friday.

If and when shareholders give their OK,the combined companywouldhave nine facilities in Canada and two in Denmark, enough to produce570,000 kilograms ofcannabis per year.

This is a transformational transaction that brings together two pioneering cannabis companies, both committed to high technology, high quality and low cost production, to create a powerful platform for accelerated growth and success on a global scale, Aurora’s CEO Terry Booth said of the deal.

The Canadian government, which is likely to legalize cannabis nationwide this summer, said it planned to allow home grows of up to four marijuana plants, which might yield 5lb in a year to an experienced grower, and is certainly consumable by an experienced smoker.

Cannabis is a sexed plant; the drug is the flower from the female.

For the home grower, this matters much less, and Graf says it helps someone develop their appreciation for the plant.

With strong weed no longer hard to find, home growing is a chance for connoisseurs to grow for CBD, a chemical commonly associated with the plants medicinal properties, or for a plants terpene profile (bouquet).

Instead, the state will allow possession and home growing, up to six plants, including two flowered females.

Licensed marijuana producers in Canada are throwing out thousands of kilograms of plant waste each year in what some of them say is a missed opportunity to find other uses for the byproduct.

Health Canada’s destruction policy for producers makes it impossible to benefit or learn from the potentially valuable waste product, said Terry Lake, the vice-president of corporate social responsibility at Hydropothecary, a licensed producer in Gatineau, Que.

Shawn McDougall, production manager at BlissCo, a licensed producer in Langley, B.C., said the company mixes leftover stalks, stems and leaves into its food waste compost, and must report the amount dumped to Health Canada.

McDougall and Lake said most of the plant material underneath the flowered buds, such as leaves, stems, and stalks, all have negligible amounts of THC, the active chemical ingredient found in marijuana plants.

Lake said Health Canada is likely overwhelmed with the pending marijuana legislative changes, but it is onlya matter of time before the agency reverses its policies on the potential benefits to be found in byproducts from marijuana plants.

As Canada prepares to legalize marijuana this summer, politicians are facing growing calls to grant a blanket amnesty for people convicted under the existing drug laws many of whom belong to marginalized groups.

Since the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, was elected in 2015 on a manifesto promise to legalize cannabis, more than 15,000 people have been charged over marijuana-related offences joining close to 500,000 Canadians with marijuana convictions on their criminal record.

Last week, the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty launched a petition asking the government to consider pardons for possession charges.

Robyn Maynard, author of Policing Black Lives, said: White and black communities use cannabis and other drugs at similar rates, but black communities have been disproportionately targeted for police stops, cannabis arrests and incarceration.

Currently, people with criminal records are unable to work in the burgeoning cannabis industry, a policy that hits heavily policed communities especially hard, said Maynard and Owusu-Bempah.

As Canada prepares to legalize marijuana this summer, politicians are facing growing calls to grant a blanket amnesty for people convicted under the existing drug laws many of whom belong to marginalized groups.

Since the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, was elected in 2015 on a manifesto promise to legalize cannabis, more than 15,000 people have been charged over marijuana-related offences joining close to 500,000 Canadians with marijuana convictions on their criminal record.

Last week, the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty launched a petition asking the government to consider pardons for possession charges.

Robyn Maynard, author of Policing Black Lives, said: White and black communities use cannabis and other drugs at similar rates, but black communities have been disproportionately targeted for police stops, cannabis arrests and incarceration.

Currently, people with criminal records are unable to work in the burgeoning cannabis industry, a policy that hits heavily policed communities especially hard, said Maynard and Owusu-Bempah.

Utah has yet to officially add a ballot initiative allowing residents to vote for allowing medical marijuana, but one of the state’s biggest institutions is coming out against it.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) issued a memorandum prepared by the church’s regular legal firm, Kirton McConkie, with 31 different legal issues supporting its stance against allowing marijuana for medicinal use.

The church said in April, two days after the signatures pushing for the initiative to be added to the ballot were submitted, that it did not support the Images – Marijuana bud.

Among the 31 issues with the initiative: it will allow some people to grow their own marijuana, it will create significant challenges for law enforcement, dispensaries will be allowed to give free samples to card holders, people with prior convictions will be allowed to get a card, it does not…

Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images – Marijuana samples are shown to customers at the Maine’s Honest Herbs Co. booth during the 4th Annual New England Cannabis Convention in Boston, March 25, 67 percent (or 2,090,401 members) of Utah’s population is Mormon, according to the church.

With the large amount of legalization for cannabis happening around the world, the market has been able to grow various different companies with varying levels of volatility.

Given that the market on cannabis is still very much in its infant stages, many of the companies are seeing high levels of fluctuations and volatility in their prices.

According to one report Within quick-service, we note Jack in the Box has the greatest exposure to recreational marijuana use becoming more widely accepted in states that have already legalized use (10% of the store base), as well as 5 states with an upcoming legalized recreational use proposal on state…

The hopes are high that the market on cannabis will be able to mature in the near future, reaching some sense of where it can potentially go in the coming years.

Only time will tell how these partnerships and ancillary industries will continue to effect the broader market on cannabis, securing partnerships for the future of the space.

SEATTLE Nearly half of U.S. cancer doctors who responded to a survey say theyve recently recommended medical marijuana to patients, although most say they dont know enough about medicinal use.

All 29 states with medical marijuana programs allow doctors to recommend it to cancer patients.

In the new study, cancer doctors said their conversations about marijuana were almost always started by patients and their families, not by the doctors themselves.

Overall, nearly eight in 10 cancer doctors reported having discussed marijuana with patients or their families, with 46 percent recommending it for pain and other cancer-related problems to at least one patient in the past year.

In the study, 67 percent of cancer doctors said they view marijuana as a useful addition to standard pain therapies, with 75 percent saying it posed less risk of overdose than opioids.

Future Farm Technologies Inc. (the Company or Future Farm) (CSE: FFT) (OTCQX: FFRMF) is pleased to announce that onMay 8th, it closed on its previously announced cash investment of$500,000for a 10% interest in YLK Partners NV, LLC, anArizona-based company which has in place a management services agreement to provide turn-key…

Future Farm is also pleased to announce that onMay 10th, it sold that 10% interest to Solis Tek, Inc. (Solis Tek) (OTCQB:SLTK), a vertically integrated cannabis technology innovator, manufacturer and distributor.

Yorkville Advisors Global, LP (Yorkville) and its affiliates, who have provided significant financing support to Future Farm, are also providing the financing to Solis Tek for theArizonaproject.

For more information on that financing and on Solis Tek, please visit their website are thrilled to have this investment inArizonaquickly become an opportunity to obtain a significant ownership position in Solis Tek, saysBill Gildea, Future Farms Chairman and CEO.

The name change of Liquor Stores N.A., which owns the Liquor Depot chain,to Alcannathis weekrepresents thecompany’s intent to expand into the Canadian cannabis market alongside Aurora Cannabis, the second-largest cannabis grower in Canada.

Alcanna a portmanteau of alcohol and cannabis reflects the company’s vision of having two separate divisions of alcohol and cannabis, since legislation will likely barthe sale of the two in the same building.

Kyle Murray, the vice-dean of the University of Alberta’s school of business, said he’d be surprised if liquor retailers didn’t invest in the cannabis market.

Alcanna has25 years of experience working with the Alberta Gaming,Liquor and CannabisCommission and regulations around the sale of alcohol, whichMurray said willgive these companies a head start.

There are lots of companies out there that are good retailers how many of them are going to want to get into the cannabis business?

The name change of Liquor Stores N.A., which owns the Liquor Depot chain,to Alcannathis weekrepresents thecompany’s intent to expand into the Canadian cannabis market alongside Aurora Cannabis, the second-largest cannabis grower in Canada.

Alcanna a portmanteau of alcohol and cannabis reflects the company’s vision of having two separate divisions of alcohol and cannabis, since legislation will likely barthe sale of the two in the same building.

Kyle Murray, the vice-dean of the University of Alberta’s school of business, said he’d be surprised if liquor retailers didn’t invest in the cannabis market.

Alcanna has25 years of experience working with the Alberta Gaming,Liquor and CannabisCommission and regulations around the sale of alcohol, whichMurray said willgive these companies a head start.

There are lots of companies out there that are good retailers how many of them are going to want to get into the cannabis business?

Connections between brain cells destroyed in early stages of Alzheimers disease Scientists have pinpointed how connections in the brain are destroyed in the early stages of Alzheimers disease, in a study which it is hoped will help in the development of treatments for the debilitating condition.

At the early stages of the development of Alzheimers disease the synapses which connect the neurons in the brain are destroyed, according to researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

The synapses are vital for brain function, particularly learning and forming memories – – A prosthetic hand that lets people actually feel through The technology lets paralysed people feel actual sensations when touching objects including light taps on the mechanical finger and could be a huge breakthrough for prosthetics, according…

While prosthetics have previously been able to be controlled directly from the brain, it is the first time that signals have been successfully sent the other way

Since Auroras initial investment on February 14th, Alcanna has made considerable progress with the execution of its cannabis strategy, highlights of which are: – – Under the previous private placement, Alcanna also issued to Aurora, for no additional consideration, two classes of common share purchase warrants, that provide Aurora with…

Further details can be found in Alcannas filings onwww.sedar.com – – Auroras wholly-owned subsidiary, Aurora Enterprises Inc., is a licensed producer of medical cannabis pursuant to Health Canadas Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR).

Aurora holds a 25% ownership interest in Alcanna Inc, (TSX: SLIQ) who are developing a cannabis retail network in Western Canada .

Aurora is also the cornerstone investor in two other licensed producers, with a 22.9% stake in Cann Group Limited, the first Australian company licensed to conduct research on and cultivate medical cannabis, and a 17.62% stake in Canadian producer The Green Organic Dutchman Ltd., with options to increase to majority…

So far, there will beonly one place to buy legal marijuana in allof Labrador once the federal government passes the required legislation, and that’s throughTobin’sConvenience, a family-run businessin Labrador City.

Tobin’s is one of 24 retailers around the province selected by Cannabis NL,which is a branchof the provincial liquor corporation, and it’s the only one approved so far in Labrador.

said Trevor Tobin, Brenda’s son, who helps run the business.

In the future, you might be buying cannabis with bitcoins, Trevor Tobin said.

It will be discreet but still the public will know where it is, said Brenda Tobin.

Halifax Regional Municipality is taking the fight against cannabis shops to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

The municipality has applied for an order to close Coastal CannapyMedical Dispensary Inc. on Agricola Streetafter the shop remained open in violation of a provincial court order, according to a news release from the city.

Elliot said the business applied for a development permit, which was denied.

Elliot said this is a unique caseas the owners, store name and parties involved with Coastal Cannapy all stayed the same even after the provincial order.

Elliot said Nova Scotia Supreme Court hasa bit more weight and hopes, if the ruling is in favour of the municipality, a sheriff can be authorized to change the locks and force the business to permanently close.

Three years into Oregons era of recreational cannabis, the state is inundated with legal weed.

Since voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2014, many industry veterans from the medical marijuana years have chafed at the entrance of new money, warning it would destroy a carefully crafted farm ecosystem.

The same problem has plagued cannabis industries in other states that have legalized recreational weed.

The demand for weed in Oregon is robust the state reeled in $68m in cannabis sales taxes last year but it cant keep pace with supply.

Across rolling hills of Oregon farmland and in Portland dispensaries as sleek as designer eyewear shops, the story plays out the same: Business owners cant make the low prices pencil out.

The Global Cannabis Stock Index is however up as much as 71% over the past six months, which shows the continuous growth of the market overall.

According to one report, one of the largest pieces of news to hit the market comes from California legalizing at the beginning of the year and the media coverage it inspired brought a lot of new investors into the sector, many of them new to investing.

Many stocks in the cannabis market are quite volatile given that the market is still very much in its infant stages.

The best method for this is to choose a balance between the larger stocks in the market that seem to have a strong grasp on the future of cannabis, and smaller companies that have great ideas and business models.

The future of legislation in the cannabis market will help to determine how the industry will look in the future.

American veterans are one step closer towards access to marijuana as a remedy for post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain after House lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that would permit the Department of Veterans Affairs to start conducting research.

Members of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs unanimously voted to push the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act to the House floor.

The bill would better articulate the laws surrounding what the VA can and cannot do as a government agency when it comes to marijuana research.

Despite the fact that 29 states and Washington D.C. have legalized medical marijuana, the VA has said in the past it is not authorized to prescribe or recommend marijuana to veterans because the federal government still considers it a Schedule One controlled substance.

Currently, federal law prohibits us from doing research on medical marijuana or prescribing medical marijuana, Shulkin told Task & Purpose.

The hemp flowers with names like K8, Chill Haus, Cannabismile White Pablo and Marley CBD are sold under the tag cannabis light because their level of the psychoactive compound that makes people high is a tiny fraction of that typically found in cultivated marijuana.

In the past year, companies packaging cannabis light have blossomed, dozens of shops selling cannabis products have opened, franchising brands have taken off, and many farmers have rotated fields to produce one of the 64 varieties of industrial hemp certified by the European Union.

The level of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the compound that makes people high is less than 0.2 per cent in cannabis light, a small fraction of the 15-25 per cent or more that is typically found in cultivated strains of marijuana, whose street-level quality can be significantly lower in Italy.

Though medical and light cannabis are legal, several cannabis users shared stories of being detained when found with the flowers.

He said he was concerned that the Italian cannabis light bubble could burst, but he was heartened by the growing number of states that have legalised marijuana in the United States.

Las Vegas, Nevada–(Newsfile Corp. – May 9, 2018) – Player’s Network, Inc. (OTCQB: PNTV), a leading diversified and integrated cannabis holding company, announced today they published their 2017 Annual Report, launched a new corporate website with a Shareholder Portal, and published their 2018 Investor Relations calendar.

Staying true to their core competencies, management has also determined to narrow the scope of professionally produced content for WeedTV and has placed all marijuana media assets into a new media holding company which is wholly owned by PNTV.

Better Access, More Transparency, Shareholder Benefits, and Investor Relations Calendar – – PNTV leadership have also decided on a new course for shareholder relations and increased transparency.

New PNTV Website and the Ability to Activate Your Shareholder Account – – PNTV’s new website has information about the company and its holdings, real time financial data, media coverage, shareholder updates and a new shareholder portal.

The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Robinson said his store on 124th Street and 103rd Avenue will be the first of five he expects to open within the next year in Alberta, if the federal government legalizes cannabis by the end of the summer.

Robinson’s application for a cannabis licence is one of more than 480 applications received by the AGLC since March 6.

The AGLC is responsible for the oversight and all distribution of cannabis to retailers, so anyone who wants to open a store in Alberta that sells cannabis products must get a licence with them.

Business licences for cannabis retailers will not be valid until cannabis is legalized, and the cost of one could be as high as $2,500 a year that’s 10 times more than a liquor store.

Finally, anyone working in a retail cannabis store will need to take theAGLC’sonline SellSafeCannabis Staff Trainingprogram.

A group of Toronto lawyers, activists and entrepreneurs launched a petition Friday calling on the federal government to grant amnesty to people convicted of simple cannabis possession charges.

If the federal government is going to legalize cannabis, then it doesn’t make any sense for these convictions to stay on people’srecords, said criminal defence lawyer Annamaria Enenajor,the director of the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty.

A May 2017 public opinion poll conducted by The Globe and Mail and Nanos Research found that 62 per cent of Canadians support, or somewhat support, the idea of issuing pardons to those with criminal records for possession.

The campaign will also collectvideo statements and testimonials from people whose lives have been negatively affected by possession charges to put a face to the harm that the prohibition of cannabis has caused.

She points to the prime minister’s recent apology to LGBTCanadians and theproposal of Bill C-66, which would createa procedure for expunging the criminal records of people convicted for offences targeting homosexuals.

With the full legalization of recreational cannabis expected in just months, the country’s real estate agents are warning that provisions allowing for home cultivation of marijuana plants could undermine property values.

In an appearance before the Senate’s social affairs committee now studying Bill C-45, the cannabis legalization bill,the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) said the Liberal government’s plan to allow so-called home grow could lead to the spread of mould and other fungi in residences across the country which could result…

The Liberal government said it plans to limit home marijuana growers tofour plants per household.

Bourquesaid his association wants the federal government to implement stricter regulations beyond the four-plant limiton home growth before allowing home cultivation to occur.

Omidvar said most Canadians93 per centof the 30,000 Canadians the federal government consulted before rolling out its legalization are supportive of home cultivation.

The acquisition of IRIE, a formulator of CBD products, adds another level of integration to our already vertically-integrated business model – – LAS VEGAS, NV- (NewMediaWire) – April 17, 2018 – Freedom Leaf Inc. (OTCQB:FRLF), a group of diversified, international, vertically-integrated hemp business and cannabis media companies, consummated its previously-announced…

In addition to the Irie CBD line and associated assets and trademarks, the acquisition also includes: the product lines, websites and other assets of: Earth Born, Inc., a California corporation; Earth Born, Inc., a Delaware corporation; Irie Living, a California nonprofit mutual benefit corporation, and Genesis Media Works, LLC, a…

Clifford Perry, CEO and Co-Founder of Freedom Leaf, commented: The acquisition of the Irie CBD product lines adds another level of integration to our already vertically-integrated business model increasing our revenues and margins.

The acquisition of Irie CBD adds to Freedom Leafs current portfolio of cannabis/hemp media and processing companies, including: their flagship publicationFreedom Leaf Magazine;one of the largest Spanish-speaking web portal in the worldLaMarihuana.com;the exclusive high-qualityHempology CBDproduct line; its extraction and distribution divisionLeafceuticals Inc, and its European hemp cultivation and production companyGreen…

Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: our ability to successfully market our products and services; the acceptance of our products and services by customers; our continued ability to pay operating…

H had already been recognised as a potential victim of child trafficking at the time of the assault and the Home Office accepts that he should not have been subject to immigration detention.

Ahmed Aydeed, director at Duncan Lewis, said the assault formed part of a catastrophic failure on the behalf of the UK authorities in their duty of care to H. – – – – This is a vulnerable victim of slavery who was a child at the time of his exploitation…

Duncan Lewis has also begun a judicial review against the Home Office on behalf of H, asking for deportation proceedings to be halted and for the Home Office to admit systemic failings in the treatment of victims of slavery in the UK.

Following a police raid on the property and Hs arrest by Derbyshire police, he was recognised as a potential victim of child trafficking by the Home Office.

While in detention the Home Office initiated deportation proceedings and H was taken directly to Morton Hall, where the sexual assault took place.

Alberta medical professionals are warning that the upcoming legalization of cannabis may exacerbate the province’s problem of premature and low-weight infants.

At issue is the research surrounding the medical safety of cannabis for pregnant women and infants, which has not met the gold standard of randomized studies of the effects.

It said most people believe no harm could come from consuming cannabis while pregnant, but the organization warns the psychoactive component, THC, can get into the placenta and breast milk, which nurturefetuses and infants.

It stands to reason that smoking cannabis could cause the same problem, he said, but the root issue is that no one knows whether it’s safe or if there’s any benefit to pregnant people.

When taken while pregnant, thalidomidecauses life-altering medical problems and deformities for infants, and a certain level of alcohol use can cause fetal alcohol syndrome.

A labour arbitration board has upheld the Town of Kindersley’s move to fire an employee for vaping medical marijuana, after patrons of an arena complained he was smoking the dope while driving a Zamboni and his coworkers later complained he vaped while driving a town vehicle.

His doctor had informed his town employers that Desjarlais had a prescription to vape marijuana during the workday, but with the restriction he should not operate the town Zamboni, forklift or lawn mower for 20 to 30 minutes after vaping.

However on April 1, 2016, Desjarlais went on a trip to Humboldt in a town vehicle, accompanied by two co-workers.

The chairman arbitrator agreed with the employer’s nominee that Desjarlais’ use of marijuana was misconduct warranting discipline, and that the decision to fire Desjarlais was not excessive discipline, given the circumstances.

Andrew Huculak, the union nominee, offered a dissenting opinion, saying he found Desjarlais honest and forthright about the trip to Humboldt and about his frustrations with the town’s attempts to invalidate his prescription and legitimate use of medical marijuana.

Members of the Senate’s Aboriginal peoples committee are recommending the Liberal government hold back on legalizing cannabis for up to a year in order to address its potential forharmful effects in Indigenous communities.

The committee, chaired by LiberalSaskatchewan Sen. Lillian Dyck, said in its report on Bill C-45 that the government simply did not consult enoughwith First Nations, Inuit and Mtiscommunities before pushing ahead with its plan to legalize the drug.

The committee has heeded arequest fromManny Jules, the chief commissioner of the First Nations Tax Commission, who recommended the federal government and the provinces hand cannabis taxing authority over to First Nations governments so they can impose their own levy on marijuana grown and sold on reserves.

The Department of Finance [should] immediately work with interested First Nations and First Nations institutions to allow them to collect cannabis excise tax revenues, the committee report said, calling for an amendment to theFirst Nations Fiscal Management Act to provide for a First Nation law-making power to levy cannabis excise…

The recommendation to extendtaxation powers to First Nations will now be referred to the Senate’s social affairs committee, which will make the ultimate decision on which amendments to the bill should get the green light.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a longtime opponent of legalizing recreational marijuana, now says the federal government should not interfere in California’s legal marijuana market.

In comments to McClatchy Tuesday in the middle of a 2018 campaign for her seat in a state that has settled into the legal pot market the California Democrat said she was open to considering federal protection for state-legalized marijuana.

While dozens of states have legalized marijuana at least for medical use, it remains illegal at the federal level.

My state has legalized marijuana for personal use, and as California continues to implement this law, we need to ensure we have strong safety rules to prevent impaired driving and youth access, similar to other public health issues like alcohol, she said.

In 2015 Feinstein was the sole Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee to vote against preventing federal funds from being used to target state-legalized medical marijuana dispensaries.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Missouri voters may have the option to legalize medical marijuana this November.

The Missouri House voted Tuesday to legalize medical marijuana and Republican Rep. Jim Neely, the bill’s sponsor and a physician, argued that it was important that the Legislature set the rules for the industry.

Several groups throughout the state are collecting signatures for ballot initiatives that would legalize, regulate and tax medical marijuana in a variety of ways.

A group called Missourians for Patient Care will need more than 100,000 signatures in its effort to change state law; another group called Find the Cure needs more than 160,000 signatures for a vote on amending the state constitution.

All groups have until Sunday to submit the signatures needed to get their question on the midterm ballot.

]]>1850Cannabis News Wednesday, April 4 Medical marijuana, Percent, Mouth swab drug & more…https://icymi.email/cannabis/2018/04/04/cannabis-news-wednesday-april-4-medical-marijuana-percent-mouth-swab-drug-more/
Wed, 04 Apr 2018 16:14:45 +0000https://icymi.email/?p=1696[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Cannabis News TLDR / Table of Contents Poll: Majority of Seniors Are In Favor of Medical Marijuana A recently published survey shows majority of seniors support medical marijuana. While this is a good thing, more must be done to adequately educate this demographic about every healthcare option. medical marijuana, percent, , , How to …

Cynthia Nixon has officially announced that she plans on running for governor of New York. And now, this longtime activist has announced that she is in favor of legalizing recreational cannabis in the Empire State.

The researchers found that states that allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes had 2.21 million fewer daily doses of opioids prescribed per year under Medicare Part D, compared with those states without medical cannabis laws.

Opioid prescriptions under Medicaid also dropped by 5.88% in states with medical cannabis laws compared with states without such laws, according to the studies.

Comparing states with and without medical marijuana laws – – In order to evaluate whether medical marijuana could function as an effective and safe alternative to opioids, the two teams of researchers looked at whether opioid prescriptions were lower in states that had active medical cannabis laws and whether those…

States that permitted recreational use, for example, saw an additional 6.38% reduction in opioid prescriptions under Medicaid compared with those states that permitted marijuana only for medical use, according to Wen.

States that permitted medical dispensaries — regulated shops that people can visit to purchase cannabis products — had 3.742 million fewer opioid prescriptions filled per year under Medicare Part D, while those that allowed only home cultivation had 1.792 million fewer opioid prescriptions per year.

Results showed that laws that let people use marijuana to treat specific medical conditions were associated with about a 6 per cent lower rate of opioid prescribing for pain.

That suggest the medical marijuana laws didn’t reach some people who could benefit from using marijuana instead of opioids, said Hefei Wen of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, one of the study authors.

Researchers found that Medicare patients in states with marijuana dispensaries filled prescriptions for about 14 percent fewer daily doses of opioids than those in other states.

W. David Bradford, an economist at the University of Georgia in Athens who’s an author of the second study, said the results add to other findings that suggest to experts that marijuana is a viable alternative to opioids.

They called for states and the federal government to pay for more studies to clarify the effect of marijuana use on opioid use, saying such research is needed for science to guide policy-making.

The number of opioid prescriptions for the elderly and the poor declined in states where medical marijuana is legal, two new studies have found.

They found prescriptions filled for all opioids decreased by 2.11m daily doses a year when a state legalized medical marijuana, and by 3.7m daily doses a year when marijuana dispensaries opened.

In a second study, researchers at the University of Kentucky examined opioid prescription data from Medicaid, a government-run program for the poor and disabled.

That analysis found state medical marijuana laws were associated with a 5.8% lower rate of opioid prescribing, and states with recreational marijuana laws were associated with a 6.3% lower rate of opioid prescribing.

That study found states with medical marijuana laws had higher overdose rates, but that those rates declined in years after medical marijuana laws were implemented, with an average 24.8% decline.